Recovery

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Sick Day

Minjeong stepped next to a sleek black car, pursing her lips. To her right, Gaeul rolled her suitcase right behind her. An awkward air floated between the two, yet Minjeong turned to the former maid with a soft smile.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

Gaeul let off short chortle, "Thanks. I'll have a lot of time to think."

"You can probably still enroll in some classes," Minjeong reasoned. "I'm sure there are some you can take so you're not doing nothing for the rest of the semester."

"I think I'll need this time," Gaeul dismissed. "Say goodbye to the other two for me, okay? And make sure to thank them for me too."

"Of course," Minjeong smiled.

She waved as the car drove off. When it turned the corner, she started back to Y/n's dorm. "And now the real day starts..."

Y/n rolled over, bumping into Chaewon. The clatter of porcelain and banging of plastic on metal seeped through his door. Similarly, strips of sunlight streaked through his bedroom, adding a slight golden tinge wherever it touched.

For the first time in years he felt unbearably hot. Sweat glued his shirt to his armpits and back, and coated his forehead. He stuck his leg out from under the bed, sighing in relief at the cold touch of his dorm's air.

An uncomfortable heat radiated from Y/n's head--one he felt with each exhale. His eyes boiled in his head, and blinking burned. While he drifted in and out of consciousness, Minjeong walked through the door with two bowls of water and washcloths hanging from her wrist.

He listened to her place one bowl on each of the nightstands next to his bed before dunking the cloths. The maid wrung the water, filling Y/n's ears with the sound of trickling water before rolling him onto his back. Like the embrace of a cool breeze on a summer day, a damp cloth sent comforting chills over Y/n's skin.

Minjeong repeated the same on Chaewon's side of the bed. She walked in and out of the room, cleaning the room, placing cold glasses of water on the night stand, and doing Y/n's laundry.

As the washcloth began to lose its cool, Y/n repositioned it on his forehead. In doing so, he grabbed Minjeong's attention, prompting her to resoak the cloth.

"Good morning," she greeted while she wrung the towel. "Gaeul left a few hours ago and told me to say goodbye and thank you for everything."

"Why didn't you wake us...?" Y/n croaked.

"Both of us did," Minjeong chuckled while she replaced Chaewon's towel. "But it turns out you two gave yourselves--or each other--a fever, so you both ended up going right back to sleep as soon as we woke you."

Y/n let off a heavy sigh. He opened his eyes, meeting Minjeong's. "Can you get us medicine? It's in the cabinet next to-"

"No. It's the weekend; you can just tough it out." Minjeong shook her head, "There's no point in taking medicine for a fever if you don't need it."

"I'm suffering here," Y/n groaned.

Minjeong shrugged, "I hope you like ginger. I put a lot if it in the porridge. It'll be done soon."

The maid exited the room, leaving Y/n and a sleeping Chaewon alone to their sickly devices. Due to the inebriation the previous night, Y/n didn't notice the different style of Minjeong's uniform until now.

It contrasted with Chaewon's, the old style, in that it was shorter. The designs were almost one-to-one, but didn't show any of her chest--a change he liked. Y/n worried the shorter design would be a problem in the colder seasons, but figured the garter belt and thigh highs would make the cold easier to bear.

Did Yena choose that outfit...?

Y/n closed his eyes in anticipation for his breakfast. When it came, a slight disappointment lingered in the aftertaste of his meal. It didn't taste bad, but compared to Gaeul, Minjeong felt like an amateur. Even Chaewon's food wasn't as enjoyable when he thought about the former maid.

Chaewon remained silent during their meal. She only opened her mouth to eat, and didn't even bat a eye toward Y/n. Immediately after she finished her food, Chaewon returned to her slumber, while Y/n scrolled through his phone.

She's never gotten sick while we've known each other... Is she usually like this when sick? She feels... distant.

Throughout the day, the sickly Kims took turns napping--almost never remaining awake at the same time. Periodically Y/n struggled going back to sleep, but without anything else to do, he had no choice.

"Minjeong ssi. Did you do Mr. Kim's laundry?"

Y/n strained his ears. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but Chaewon mentioning his name after a day of seemingly ignoring him was too compelling.

"I did," Minjeong replied.

"From now on that's my job only," Chaewon said, her tone slightly hostile.

"Not even Mr. Kim can-?"

"I mean between us," the radish interrupted. "I don't like you touching his laundry."

"Why? Are you scared I'll act weirdly around your boyfriend's clothes?" Minjeong grinned.

"I-"

"I'm just teasing," the maid chuckled. "I won't lay a hand on Mr. Kim or his clothes. You should go back to sleep. You look exhausted."

Y/n suppressed his smile underneath the blanket. He kept his eyes closed while Chaewon climbed back into bed. When he was sure Minjeong was gone, Y/n scooted closer to Chaewon.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit."

"Who knew we'd get sick?' Y/n chuckled. "How'd that even happen?"

"Dunno."

Y/n paused. The radish's dry responses left his mouth equally dry, and her tone sparked a mote of worry. "Did I do something wrong...?"

Chaewon sighed. She nestled herself next to Y/n, leaning her head against him while staying on her back. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired. I didn't mean to be so cold."

"It's okay. I understand." Y/n took Chaewon's hand into his own. He caressed her soft skin with his thumb, earning a light hum. "Let's promise to talk things out if there's a problem, okay? I want to know as soon as I do something wrong."

The radish turned her head, locking eyes with Y/n. The two parties paused. Chaewon's deep hazel eyes sent her master's heart racing, partly due to the rest of her deceivingly innocent face.

"Why this all of a sudden?"

"Cause I thought you were mad at me today," Y/n replied.

Chaewon nodded with a hum. She fixed the cloth on her forehead before closing her eyes. "Okay. I'll tell you when there's a problem."